Perfection
by AsamiAllGrownUp
Summary: How could one little mistake make such perfection?
1. Chapter one

**Chapter one**

Isuzu sat in complete silence, holding her stomach tightly. She nearly wanted to cry. She wanted to burst out into tears and shout as loudly as she could, but she couldn't. There were too many people around - she moved between Kagura's and Master's and today she happened to be at Master's during one of his classes - so she couldn't as much as she wished. She told Master that she felt unwell when he asked if she wanted to join them. Kyo and Tohru had come to visit and so everyone was over. Just as per usual, the boys (and Kagura, unintentionally) had decided to have sparring matches before dinner. They were all raised on martial arts, after all.

"Rin," Tohru said gently as she opened Isuzu's door. It only took a second for Tohru to read the painful expression on Isuzu's face. "Rin, what's the matter?"

Isuzu crumpled over, holding onto her belly. "It's okay, I just feel sick," she tried to convince her. It was mostly true. She felt sick to her stomach.

"Fever sick? Stomach ache sick?"

"Vomit sick," Isuzu said quietly. "I'm fine, really."

Tohru's worried expression didn't fade. "Hop into bed and I'll get you something. Do you want anything? Tea? Soup?" she asked kindly as she straightened the futon set it out for Isuzu to at least sit in.

"I'm fine, Tohru," Isuzu insisted, but she felt her stomach lurch and she nearly lost it, a hand instantly covering her mouth.

Tohru got up to her feet. "I'll go get Hator-"

"It's okay, Tohru," Isuzu said quickly, standing up too quickly so she felt faint. She felt her body collapse underneath herself, waking after a few moments in her bed.

She sat up quickly, Tohru and Hatori next to her bed, Hatsuharu sitting in the corner with a worried expression on his face. "Take your time, Rin," Hatori said calmly as he took her arm and held it, looking at his watch while he monitored her heartbeat. "Tohru said you were feeling ill."

"I feel fine now," Isuzu lied and no one in the room bought it.

Hatsuharu sighed. "Rin."

"As far as I can tell, it's just a mild case of the stomach flu. Liquids and rest will help," Hatori said as he got up. "If you need anything."

Everyone got up and left the room except for Hatsuharu. He just sat in the corner, watching as Isuzu looked back at her hands, holding the blanket up to her stomach. She looked scared.

"Rin," Hatsuharu said as he scooted across the floor, placing one hand on hers. "What's the matter?"

Isuzu was quiet, moving her hands so Hatsuharu's was on her stomach, her hands resting top of his. It only took a few moments before tears ran down her cheeks, turning to lean on Hatsuharu's shoulder. She held his shirt in her hands tightly, grasping on as she cried.

"Rin, are we...?" Hatsuharu asked, struggling to find the right words.

Isuzu knew exactly what he meant though. Did that one careless mistake have serious life long consequences? She just nodded into his shoulder as she wept. "What are we going to do?" she muttered into his shoulder. Hatsuharu was still in high school. Isuzu had only been working for a few months since she'd been out of hospital. They couldn't afford a baby.

Hatsuharu sighed. "We'll work it out." He wasn't so sure.


	2. Chapter two

"I got a job."

Hatsuharu looked up from his homework at his girlfriend. She was leaning on the doorway, her arms folded with a serious expression on her face. "But you'll have to leave in a few months."

Isuzu frowned, a little confused. But she would never understand how Hatsuharu's mind worked. "That's what you're concerned about?"

Hatsuharu shrugged. "I can't stop you, I have school," he replied. "And you wouldn't do anything that would hurt the ba-."

Isuzu clamped her hand around Hatsuharu's mouth. "No 'b' word, we haven't told anyone yet."

Hatsuharu sighed as he pulled Isuzu's hand away. "What about 'pregnant'? 'Child'? 'Angel'? 'Princess'?" he asked. "I'm not calling our child 'it'."

Isuzu frowned a little more. "What if your parents hear?" she asked, though she knew it was a stupid question.

Hatsuharu shrugged. "They'll laugh at me and call me an idiot. Like usual. I don't care what they think," he replied as he pulled Isuzu in close. He held his hands around her back as he leant into her stomach, kissing it gently. "Anyone who doesn't love our angel doesn't know what they're missing."

Isuzu rested her head on Hatsuharu's, letting him feel at her belly. There was the tiniest of bumps - the only reason Hatsuharu could tell was because Isuzu had always been only skin and bones and now she actually felt like there was something else in there - but it didn't bother him at all. "You think it'll be a girl, don't you?"

Hatsuharu nodded. "Of course," he replied as he pressed his ear to her belly. He knew there would be no chance he could hear the baby, but it was worth a shot. "She'll be our little princess. Beautiful like her mother."

"Girls tend to look like their dads, Haru," she replied.

Hatsuharu looked up. "God have mercy on that poor child," he said, Isuzu gently hitting him.

"That's not a bad thing," she said as she looked down at him.

Hatsuharu thought for a moment before meeting her eyes. "You can get the scan, right? How many weeks are you?"

"Only seventeen, Haru. You have to wait until twenty," she replied. "I haven't even gotten a scan once yet."

Hatsuharu frowned. "Aren't you supposed to? To check that she's alright? What if she's sick? You're pretty tiny, Rin. What if she's not getting enou-"

Isuzu put a hand over his mouth again to shush him, turning her eyes away. "I don't really want to go."

Hatsuharu pulled her hand away, turning her head to look at him. "Why not? Are you scared? I'll come with you, you know."

Isuzu shook her head. "What will happen if she is sick? We can barely afford a baby, yet alone extra hospital bills and-"

It was Hatsuharu's turn to make her stop. "We'll work it out." Isuzu didn't look convinced, but she got off of her boyfriend and sat down, leaning against the wall. Hatsuharu turned back to his homework, writing something on the paper before pausing. Isuzu just looked at him, waiting for him to say whatever he needed to. Sometimes it took Hatsuharu a while to remember things. "I got a job too."

* * *

Momiji sat in class, stretching his arms over the table. "Haru, this is too hard," he said as he hit his head gently on the table. "Can you help me after school? I just don't get it."

Hatsuharu didn't even look at Momiji, he was too busy trying to get his own work done. "Not tonight, I have work," he apologised, continuing to write.

Momiji watched him and could see the extra effort he was putting in. He sat up, looking rather concerned. "Work? Since when? Are your parents not paying for you any more?"

Hatsuharu shook his head. "I just have a few more responsibilities now," he replied.

Momiji sighed, leaning forward on his arms again. "Whatever it is, you can tell me, Haru," he said kindly. "You know that I'll help."

Hatsuharu shook his head again. "It's fine, Momiji," he replied as he continued to write quickly, finally finishing the paper. "Done. What do you need help with?"

"Haru," Momiji said, dragging it out. "What's going on?"

Hatsuharu sighed. "Nothing."

"Come on, Haru. I thought we were friends," Momiji whined as he span in his seat, leaning over near Hatsuharu. "I wanna help!"

Hatsuharu didn't know what to say. It wasn't going to be a secret forever. But at the same time, Isuzu wanted to keep it quiet. "It's nothing."

"Is it something to do with Rin?" Momiji asked, watching Hatsuharu's expression change. "It is! It is! Are Kagura's family still taking care of her? What about Master?"

Hatsuharu shook his head. "She's fine, everything is fine," he said, his temper beginning to spike. Momiji wasn't getting the hint.

"But Haru!"

Hatsuharu snapped. It had been a while since it had, but that meant that it didn't really take much. Momiji could just tell from his expression. "You wanna know, do ya?"

Momiji nodded, sitting back a little. He wasn't sure whether Hatsuharu was going to come at him or if he'd gotten off easy. But Hatsuharu managed to calm himself down, sitting back in his chair. He held his head, shaking it as he leaned forward.

"Haru?"

Hatsuharu leaned forward. "It's Rin."

Momiji felt pale. "What's wrong? Haru! Is she sick? Haru," he said as he tried to think it through. Job. Work. Rin. "Is she pregnant?" he said quietly, trying not to get any attention. The lack of response said it all. "Haru!"

Hatsuharu looked at Momiji. "You can't tell anyone. She doesn't want annyone to know yet."

"But, you're in high school, Haru!" Momiji protested.

"She's not due until after graduation," he reasoned.

Momiji wasn't going to let this slide. They debated for the rest of class, Hatsuharu continuing to insist that it was fine. Momiji thought exactly the opposite. But he'd gotten off easy. He could tell Hatsuharu was trying his hardest to be someone that a child could rely on, someone that Isuzu could rely on. He'd been so in control of himself, it was surprising that Hatsuharu had let 'black Haru' slip, even for a second. Momiji knew that Hatsuharu wouldn't endanger his own child with his darker personality.

"What if she's like us?" he asked, the reality of it sinking in. Just because they'd all broken from the curse didn't mean it couldn't start again. As a child of the former cow and horse, the statistics were probably higher.

Hatsuharu remembered the nightmares. It was his biggest wish that she were to be born normal, but he feared never being able to hold his daughter or Isuzu never being able to hold her son.

"At least we'll understand," Hatsuharu said quietly, but he didn't say much after that. Hatsuharu looked dull, Momiji reading every bit of worry and exhaustion that was being written into Hatsuharu's face.

"Will you be able to cope?" Momiji's own voice almost cracked, remembering the pain his own mother went through. He doubted that Hatsuharu or Isuzu would have their memories erased, but the pain that would be inflicted by just knowing the child couldn't grow up like every other child would be horrible.

Hatsuharu looked up at Momiji. It wasn't that often that they spoke so intimately. Normally Momiji was in the front of the class, talking with all the girls while Hatsuharu was quiet in the back. "We'll work it out."

* * *

"You told him?" Isuzu shouted, slamming the door shut behind herself, sliding down the door. She was in a state of panic, one hand on her belly and the other curled in her hair. "You chose Momiji of all people to tell? He'll just let it slip and-" She let out a noise of frustration, the hand in her hair untangling and banging against the door.

Hatsuharu, once again, had his head buried in books. "It was that or let the other me tell the whole class," he responded dryly.

Isuzu frowned. "But can we handle everyone knowing?"

"You give Momiji little credit," Hatsuharu replied. "He's more trustworthy than you're making him out to be."

Isuzu wasn't so sure. She didn't speak much with Momiji, to be honest. But then again, she didn't talk very much with most of the former zodiac. She didn't talk much at all. Except with Hatsuharu. "Are you sure?"

"He's just worried," Hatsuharu replied.

Isuzu got up slowly, taking Hatsuharu's hand and dragging him to his feet before pulling him over to his futon. "You look exhausted. Stop studying and get some sleep," she said, changing the subject.

"Gonna tuck me in?" he teased before he tried to move back to his books. "I have a test in a few days, I have to study."

Isuzu held on tight. "If you work yourself too hard, you'll get sick," she said, pulling him back towards herself.

Hatsuharu held her face gently, kissing her forehead. "I'll be fine."

"Bed. Now."

Hatsuharu smirked, letting out a sigh. "Okay, okay. I'll go to bed," Hatsuharu replied, looking at Isuzu. "If we can go get that scan on Saturday or after school Thursday, I don't have work."

Isuzu wasn't sure if she was happy with the terms. "I don't-"

"Rin, you have to. It's for the baby's sake," he said clearly, placing his hands on her waist. "If there's anything we can do to make their life better, why wouldn't we at least try?"

Isuzu swallowed but nodded. "Okay. I'll meet you after school on Thursday," she said, though Hatsuharu could tell she was still scared.

Hatsuharu smiled gently. He kissed her gently. "Alright, I'll go to bed then. You know I'll come get you if you don't turn up on Thursday right?"

Isuzu was well aware he would. He'd carry her kicking and screaming. "I know."


	3. Chapter three

Hatsuharu stepped towards the school gates, noticing the people murmuring about some dark haired girl glaring at everyone as they exited the school gates. He knew exactly who it was. He had a small smile as he looked at his introverted girlfriend, placing his hand on her shoulder. "You can stop intimidating my classmates now, Rin," he said, teasing her slightly. She just glared at him, keeping her mouth shut as she turned, ready to leave. "Don't be mad, please. This is meant to be exciting."

"Hatsuharu!" a voice shouted from down the path, a teenage boy just starting his growth spurt standing in front of them. "Ma wants to know if you'll be home for dinner. She's sick and tired of making you dinner and you not eating it. It's a waste of food."

Hatsuharu sighed. "No, I'm going to Rin's tonight. I'll be home tomorrow. Maybe," he replied, the dark haired boy folding his arms and frowning.

"Why do you even live with us? You don't talk to us, you just eat and go hide in your room. You might as well live with Isuzu-san," the boy huffed, folding his arms. "You're a waste of space. Just go live with your girlfriend already, idiot."

Isuzu glared darkly at the boy, Hatsuharu holding her back gently. "You'll get your wish soon enough, Satoshi," Hatsuharu replied. "Go home and study."

"Don't tell me what to do," Satoshi spat back, turning around and walking off.

Hatsuharu sighed. "My parents did a good job of brain washing him, didn't they?" he said as he watching his younger brother leave. Not that their relationship really granted the ability for him to call him that. They might as well have been unrelated. "Kaoru's the same."

Isuzu was still quiet. She was never comfortable in public. But she lead him to the hospital, awkwardly asking to see a doctor at the desk. "I need to see a doctor. I'm... pregnant and I would like a check-up please."

The receptionist had a bright smile. "Congratulations. Take a seat, have you been here before?"

"Yes, Sohma Isuzu," she said and the receptionist pulled up her details on the computer.

"Thanks, Sohma-san," the receptionist said with a smile. "The doctor will be with you shortly."

It was a short yet anxious wait, the doctor coming in quickly and ushering the pair into a small room. "So how many weeks pregnant do you think you are, Sohma-san," he asked very quickly, pulling out his notepad. "Six weeks? Eight weeks?"

"Eighteen weeks," Isuzu replied quietly, the doctor nodding.

"Busy time?" he asked curiously, but he quickly moved on. "Have you been experiencing much nausea?"

Isuzu thought back. "I was quite unwell for a bit over a month. I started feeling better a few weeks ago," she said, nervously looking at Hatsuharu who just gave a small smile of support.

"Well, seeing as you've not been checked yet, I suppose we'll do an ultrasound. And here's one I prepared earlier," he said, trying to lighten the mood. He would have liked a small smile from Isuzu, but he was unlikely to get one. "Lie down here and lift your shirt over your belly please."

Isuzu didn't want to move. She was too nervous. But with a push from behind from Hatsuharu, she was on her feet and staggering towards the machine. "Come on, don't be nervous," the doctor said as he helped her sit. "The gel will be cold, but it shouldn't hurt."

Isuzu nodded numbly, glaring at Hatsuharu again as if he'd pushed her and tied her into the chair. He just shrugged, listening closely and watching the monitor from a distance. "Do you remember when you started your last period?" he asked, catching Isuzu off guard.

"August or September...ish?" she replied.

"She's always been unwell, it's only been in the last twelve months she's really gotten healthy, luckily," Hatsuharu said from his chair, trying to help out. "Because she was so thin and sick, it's been hard to keep track of things."

The doctor smiled in his direction. "Thank you," he said politely. "Well, I suppose I'll check now." He looked and wrote down figures, slowly calculating something. But he looked pretty sure the baby - which Isuzu swore was just a whole bunch of weird black and white lines - wasn't the age they thought she was.

"Well, Sohma-san, you may be expecting a few weeks earlier than before. Medically speaking, your baby looks about twenty to twenty two weeks old. I would think that they're between twenty and twenty one weeks, myself," the doctor said kindly. "Which means I can tell you the baby gender if you'd like."

Isuzu looked at Hatsuharu for answers. Did she want to know? She was going to find out eventually. Hatsuharu wasn't helping by letting her decide everything. "Yes please."

The doctor gently moved the sensor, stopping on the screen. "At this point, it looks pretty safe to assume you're having a beautiful baby girl."

Hatsuharu looked relieved as he moved forward, looking at the ultrascreen image. "She'll be beautiful," he said as he looked at the image, the doctor looking at the pair with a amused yet concerned expression. "Can you see her?" he asked Isuzu as he was almost in awe of whatever he could see on the screen. Isuzu's face just explained it all to him. He leaned down, pointing at the picture and telling her about it. He remembered Kisa and how she and Hiro's mother gushed over the ultrasound photos of Hinata, pointing out exactly where Hinata was in all of the pictures.

"Are you the baby's father?" the doctor asked curiously. "That's a high school uniform."

Hatsuharu stood up. "Is there a problem?" he asked, more concerned than anything else.

The doctor shook his head. "No, it's just a big commitment for a high school student to have a child. Though she's not particularly unhealthy from what I can see, Sohma-san is quite thin and will need to improve her health to continue with a healthy pregnancy," the doctor said clearly. "You said it yourself, she's only come healthy in the last twelve months and although I haven't seen what she was like previously, I can tell that it will take a lot more work to be healthy enough to maintain a child."

Hatusharu nodded. "There's nothing I wouldn't do for both Rin and our little girl," he said as he looked the doctor in the eyes.

"You're much more mature than any of the other high schoolers I've met," the doctor replied as he smiled a little. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. The hair and the piercings, well I thought you were going to be a lot like the other drop-beat young men who walk in here only because they're forced to. But I was wrong. Don't prove me right, please."

Hatsuharu had a small smile. "I'll do my best, sensei."

"Well then, if you have any questions, I'm happy to answer them. Otherwise, I think you're free to leave," the doctor said clearly, as he sat back down at his desk. Even if Isuzu had questions, she couldn't think of them under this sudden pressure. And she'd been distracted by the ultrasound, still trying to figure out how Hatsuharu could see their child and she couldn't.

"I can print you out a copy of the ultrasound if you'd like," the doctor suggested.

-

Isuzu threw a key at Hatsuharu from across his bedroom, sitting on his rolled up futon. Hatsuharu looked at the key for a moment, before looking back at his girlfriend with a confused expression. "What's this for?"

"My new apartment. Our new apartment, if you want. It's tiny, but it's got two bedrooms and a bathroom so I'm fine with it," she explained. "Just enough room for the three of us."

Hatsuharu turned around at his desk so he could look straight at Isuzu. "When did you do this?" he asked. He already knew how busy she kept herself at work. It had been three weeks since their first doctor's appointment and he was almost certain that Isuzu was getting thinner.

"Someone wanted to advertise some apartments they had in the cafe. I looked into and they're nice. Nothing special, but it's nice enough for our family," she replied. Hatsuharu was still frowning. "I didn't go in the dark, if that's what you're worried about. I got a two hour lunch break the other day. They didn't mind, it was a quiet day and we were overstaffed thanks to some new trainees."

Hatsuharu folded his arms. "That's time for you to eat and rest, not get an apartment. What have you eaten today?"

"Tomo-chan made us all some ramen. It had heaps of meat and vegetables in it. It was healthy," she retorted as she become frustrated.

Hatsuharu still didn't look happy. "And for breakfast?"

"I was running late-"

"Dinner?"

"I'm too tired to eat, I'm not hungr-"

"Snacks?"

"I only had one break today, we were busy."

"Rin, that's not good enough. It's not only you that you're feeding. It's our little girl too. You need to eat, even if you're not hungry," he said with a stern expression, frowning as he got up. "Wait here, I'll get you something."

Hatsuharu walked into the kitchen, opening up the rice cooker with leftover rice from dinner and anything else he could find. He warmed it up and grabbed some chopsticks, returning to his room in complete silence as to avoid any unwanted attention from his family.

"You didn't have to do that," Isuzu said as Hatsuharu handed the bowl and chopsticks to her.

Hatsuharu sat back down at his desk. "I did, because you won't eat if I didn't."

"Haru," Isuzu said as she looked at the bowl of food. "I'm sorry. I have somewhere to live now, somewhere I can call home. I don't have to worry about making food at weird hours and seeming ungrateful anymore."

"Living with Kagura and her family was home, Rin. They wouldn't care."

"If you don't want to live there, you don't have to. I was just letting you know." With that, Rin had left, leaving Hatsuharu on his own. He wasn't trying to get her mad, but he knew that she was stubborn and wouldn't listen if he didn't.

-


End file.
